Te Ipukarea Society was recently invited to French Polynesia to participate in an event known as “Te Reo O Te Moana”, the voice of the ocean.

It was a gathering of representatives from the Pacific Islands, Aotearoa and Australia, to launch an urgent call to action for the protection of the Moana Nui o Kiva, to be delivered to the United Nations Oceans Conference in France, in June this year. The event was hosted at the Presidential Palace of French Polynesia.

Kelvin Passfield represented the Society at the meeting, held on 28^th March, and participated in a panel discussion on “Artisanal fishing, food resilience and marine conservation”. The organisers particularly wanted to hear about the Cook Islands experience in establishing 50 nautical mile (nm) or approximately 93km protection zones for each of the 15 islands of the Cook Islands. There is no industrial fishing or deep seabed mining allowed in these zones, and they are reserved for artisanal and charter boat fishing. 

The Cook Islands Government’s preference initially was to only allow 24nm protection zones, as it was believed that the country would lose a lot of foreign fishing revenue with 50nm zones. Kelvin explained how historical reports of fish catches by industrial fishing boats both inside and outside the proposed 50nm areas showed that there would be minimal impact on foreign fishing licence revenue for the Cook Islands if 50nm zones were established. This assisted in finally getting Government’s approval for the 50nm protection zones. Sharing our experience was intended to help French Polynesian communities in the Marquesas and the Austral Islands in setting up their own artisanal fishing grounds where there would be no large-scale fishing. 

A highlight of the event was when the President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, signed the Call to Action for protection of the ocean, the first Pacific leader to have this opportunity.  Below is a summary of the Call to Action.  You can also find a link below to the full text at the end of this article

We, the peoples of the Pacific, united by our cultures, traditions and connection to our sacred ocean, come together with a call for collective action.

We call for your understanding that Te Moana (the ocean), is our ancestor, our home. Our relationship with Te Moana is one of constant reciprocity where there is giving and receiving. With more and more extraction, the balance has waned. The taking has led to overfishing, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction. We stand together to restore this reciprocity.

Carrying the wisdom of our ancestors and gathered by the currents that connect each of our shores, we embark on a journey to recover our collective power and heal our ocean. Aboard our sacred canoes, we bind together our afa, our ropes, which represent our combined strength and unity towards action.

We set sail on one course, with a commitment to protect the sacred ocean, ensuring that our communities and cultures continue to thrive in harmony with the sea.

We are a living memory of our ancestors. Their knowledge and wisdom we maintain and practice. We value all forms of knowledge and are leaders in generating new knowledge and tools that inform our decision making for ocean prosperity.

As the impacts of the climate crisis increase, as our oceans continue to rise, as our communities stand united knowing that we are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, we call for justice and equity for the loss and damage to our islands. Our current challenges are not quick fixes. Now is the time for vision and leadership, with actions that are steadfast and unwavering. We offer ourselves and our experiences, knowledge and practices that will successfully navigate our turbulent seas. Our vision is clear. Our journey begins with us and at home, with a promise for a healthy ocean for present and future generations.

We call for:

1. Living, Honouring and Preserving the Deep-Rooted Indigenous, Community, and Ancestral Connections to the Ocean: The foundation of our shared identity

2. Creating Marine Protected and Conserved Areas: Sanctuaries for the future

3. Protecting Marine Life: Living symbols of our cultures

4. Promoting Local Artisanal Fishing: A living heritage

5. Preventing Deep-sea Mining: Protecting the belly of our earth mother, from where we descend

6. Supporting the BBNJ Treaty: Protecting the high seas for all

The Call to Action concludes with this statement:

Te Reo O Te Moana: a Call for Te Moana Nui. Together, we affirm that protecting the ocean is a sacred responsibility. The ocean is our past, present and future. Let us protect it, together, for our ancestors, for ourselves and for generations to come. To honour this responsibility, we urge the international community to stand with the Pacific. Our call must inspire commitments to be made at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference and far beyond. We, the descendants and supporters of the ocean, hereby endorse this call to Action.

Some useful links for the call to action can be found clicking the link http://bit.ly/TeReoOTeMoana